The Acts of the Apostles

• Who Wrote: The Physician Luke
• Where Written: Rome
• When Written: c. 61-62 C.E.

CHAPTER 1

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 The first account, O Theophilus, I composed about all that Jesus began to do and teach, ² until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ To whom he also presented himself alive after he suffered, with many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking the things about the kingdom of God.

⁴ And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

⁶ So when they had come together, they were asking him, “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in both Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they were looking intently into heaven as he went, look, two men stood by them in white garments, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the zealous one[1] and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All these with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

¹⁵ At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, ¹⁶ “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷ For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” ¹⁸ (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all who live in Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰ “For it is written in the book of Psalms,

“‘Let his dwelling become desolate,
    and let there be no inhabitant in it’;

and,

“‘His office let another take.’

²¹ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us, one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” ²³ And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴ And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to serve with the eleven apostles.

CHAPTER 2

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 When the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues,[2] as the Spirit was giving them utterance.[3]

⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ How is it, then, that each one of us is hearing his own native language?[4] ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs, we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” ¹² And all were amazed and greatly perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and declared to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day;[5] ¹⁶ but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel

¹⁷ “‘And it shall be in the last days, God says,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸ and even on my male slaves and on my female slaves
    I will pour out some of my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
    before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’[6]

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus the Nazarene was a man publicly shown to you by God through powerful works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know. ²³ This man, delivered up by the determined plan and foreknowledge[7] of God, you nailed to a cross by the hand of godless men and put him to death. ²⁴ But God raised him up again, by releasing him from the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me continually,
    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken.
²⁶ Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover,
    my flesh also will dwell in hope.
²⁷ because you will not abandon my soul in Hades,[8]
    or let your Holy One see corruption.
²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life;
    you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹ “Brothers, I may confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins[9] he would set one upon his throne,[10] ³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades,[11] nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. ³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
³⁵ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[12]

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,[13] “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent[14] and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.[15]

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² And they continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.[16] ⁴³ And fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all those who believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing these things to all, as anyone had need. ⁴⁶ Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their food together with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

CHAPTER 3

The Lame Beggar Healed

3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.[17] ² And a certain man that was lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple that is called Beautiful, to ask alms[18] of those entering the temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive alms.[19] ⁴ But Peter, together with John, looked straight at him and said: “Look at us.” ⁵ So he fixed his attention on them, expecting to get something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I you. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, walk!” ⁷ And taking hold of him by the right hand, he raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms,[20] and they were filled with astonishment[21] and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

¹¹ While he was still holding on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s,[22] utterly astonished. ¹² And when he saw it, Peter replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you astonished at this? Or why are you staring at us, as if by our own power or godliness we have made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, after he had decided to release him. ¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and demanded that a man, a murderer, be granted to you, ¹⁵ and you killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And on the basis of faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith that is through him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But the things which God announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; ²⁰ and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old. ²² Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in everything that he says to you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your forefathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

CHAPTER 4

Peter and John Before the Council

4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, ² greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, because it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

⁵ And it happened that on the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly family. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man stands before you healthy! ¹¹ This one is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.[23] ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated[24] and untrained men, they were astonished, and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in answer to it. ¹⁵ But after they had ordered them to go outside the Sanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, ¹⁶ saying: “What should we do with these men? Because, for a fact, a noteworthy sign has occurred through them, one evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to no man in this name.” ¹⁸ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; ²⁰ for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ So after they had threatened them further, they released them, since they did not find any grounds for punishing them and on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God over what had happened. ²² For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

²³ After being released, they went to their own people and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, ²⁵ and who said through the Holy Spirit by the mouth of our forefather David, your servant,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
    and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed.’

²⁷ For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had decided beforehand^[25] to take place. ²⁹ And now, the Lord, give attention to their threats, and grant to your slaves to keep speaking your word with all boldness, ³⁰ while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.[26]

All Things in Common

³² Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not even one of them would say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There was no one in need among them, for all those who owned fields or houses would sell them and bring the value of what was sold ³⁵ and placing them at the feet of the apostles. And it was being distributed to each as anyone had need. ³⁶ So Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means, when translated, “Son of Comfort”), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, ³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

CHAPTER 5

Ananias and Sapphira

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and  he held back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s knowledge, and he brought just a part of it and deposited it at the feet of the apostles. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” ⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard of it. ⁶ The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you[27] sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” ⁹ But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” ¹⁰ And immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And great fear came upon the whole congregation[28] and upon all who heard of these things.

Many Signs and Wonders Performed

¹² Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.[29] ¹³ And none of the rest dared to join them, but the people were speaking highly of them. ¹⁴ And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, ¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. ¹⁶ Also, crowds of people from the cities around Jerusalem kept coming, carrying sick people and those troubled with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

The Apostles Arrested and Freed

¹⁷ But the high priest rose up and all those who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison. ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out and said, ²⁰ “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” ²¹ And when they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and began to teach.

Now when the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison house to have them brought. ²² But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported, ²³ saying, “We found the prison locked with all security and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” ²⁴ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what would come of this. ²⁵ And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” ²⁶ Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our forefathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.[30] ³¹ God exalted this one as Leader and Savior to his right hand, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

³³ But when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and were planning to kill them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. ³⁶ For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who obeyed[31] him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, for if this plan or this work is of men, it will be overthrown; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” ⁴⁰ At this they were persuaded[32] by him,[33] and they summoned the apostles, flogged them, and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹ So they went out from before the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. ⁴² And every day in the temple and from house to house they kept right on teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Christ was Jesus.

CHAPTER 6

The Appointment of the Seven

6 Now in those days when the disciples were increasing, the Hellenists[34] began complaining against the Hebrews,[35] because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. ² So the Twelve called the multitude of the disciples together and said,  “It is not right for us to leave the word of God to distribute food to tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. ⁶ They brought them to the apostles, and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

⁷ And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

The Arrest of Stephen

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God” ¹² And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, ¹³ and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the Law, ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵ And as all those sitting in the Sanhedrin stared at him, they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

CHAPTER 7

Stephen’s Speech

7 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ² And he said, “Hear me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans[36] and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land in which you are now living. ⁵ And yet, he did not give him any inheritance in it, no, not even enough to put his foot on; but he promised to give it to him as a possession and after him to his offspring, though as yet he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect, that his offspring would be foreigners in a land not theirs and that the people would enslave them and afflict[37] them four hundred years. ⁷ and the nation that they will serve as slaves, I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out and will serve me in this place.’ ⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “And the patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹ Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our forefathers could find no food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers the first time. ¹³ On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five souls in all. ¹⁵ And Jacob went down to Egypt and died, he and our forefathers. ¹⁶ And they were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

¹⁷ “But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt ¹⁸ until there arose another king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ¹⁹ This one dealt cunningly with our race and wrongfully forced the fathers to abandon their infants so that they would not be kept alive. ²⁰ At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in the sight of God. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house, ²¹ and when he was abandoned,[38] the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and brought him up as her own son. ²² And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in his words and deeds.

²³ “But when he was forty years old, it entered in his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. ²⁴ Seeing one of them being unjustly treated, he defended him and avenged the one being abused by striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵ “And he supposed that his brothers understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. ²⁶ The next day he appeared to them as they were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying: ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you mistreat one another?’ ²⁷ “But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed him aside, saying: Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us? ²⁸ You do not want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ ²⁹ “On hearing this, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

³⁰ After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of a burning bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ³² I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. ³³ And the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵ This same Moses whom they had disowned, saying: ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge?’ this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶ This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. ³⁷ “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ³⁸ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our forefathers; and he received living sayings[39] to give to us. ³⁹ Our forefathers refused to obey him, but they pushed him aside and in their hearts, they turned back to Egypt, ⁴⁰ saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ⁴¹ And they made a calf in those days and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. ⁴² But God turned away and gave them over to worship the army of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
    during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
⁴³ You took up the tent of Moloch
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’[40]

⁴⁴ “Our forefathers had the tent of the witness in the wilderness, just as he gave orders when speaking to Moses to make it according to the pattern he had seen. ⁴⁵ And our forefathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our forefathers. So it was until the days of David, ⁴⁶ who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who built a house for him. ⁴⁸ Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

⁴⁹ “‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
    or what is the place of my rest?
⁵⁰ Did not my hand make all these things?’

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your forefathers did, so do you. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand about the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, ⁵³ you who received the Law as transmitted by angels but have not kept it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed at him all together. ⁵⁸ After throwing him outside the city, they began stoning him. The witnesses laid down their outer garments at the feet of a young man called Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.[41]

CHAPTER 8

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 And Saul approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ² And devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. ³ But Saul was ravaging the congregation, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and would put them in prison.

Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria

⁴ Now those who had been scattered went about proclaiming the good news of the word. ⁵ And Philip came down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them. ⁶ And the crowds with one accord were paying attention to what Philip said while they listened and observed the signs he was performing. ⁷ For many of those who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them, crying out with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸ So there was much joy in that city.

Simon the Magician Believes

⁹ Now a certain man named Simon had been in the city practicing magic and astonishing the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was someone great. ¹⁰ They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” ¹¹ And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had astonished them with his magic. ¹² But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³ Simon himself also believed, and after being baptized, he continued with Philip; and he was amazed at seeing the signs and great powerful works taking place.

¹⁴ Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, ¹⁵ who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying: “Give me this authority also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have neither part nor share in this matter, for your heart is not straight[42] in the sight of God. ²² Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ for I see you are a gall of bitterness[43] and a bond[44] of unrighteousness.” ²⁴ And Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

²⁵ So when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

²⁶ But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) ²⁷ And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure, who had come to worship in Jerusalem, ²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his chariot and was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” ³⁰ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“He was led as a sheep to slaughter
    and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he opens not his mouth.
³³ In his humiliation was taken away.
    Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”[45]

³⁴ And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I beg you, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning from this Scripture he declared to him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶ And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” ^37——[46] ³⁸ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

CHAPTER 9

The Conversion of Saul

9 But Saul,[47] still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he was traveling and nearing Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶ But get up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice[48] but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. And leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your holy ones at Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight and got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul Proclaims Christ in Synagogues

Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus. ²⁰ And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” ²¹ And all who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

Saul Escapes from Damascus

²³ When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted to do away with him, ²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him, ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶ And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ And he was going in and going out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists.[49] But they were seeking to kill him. ³⁰ And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

³¹ So the congregation throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

The Healing of Aeneas

³² Now as Peter was traveling through all the region, he came down also to the holy ones who lived in Lydda. ³³ And he found there a certain man named Aeneas who was paralyzed, who had been lying on a mat for eight years. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up. ³⁵ And all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

³⁶ Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was full of good deeds of kindness and good works which she continually did. ³⁷ Now it happened that in those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” ³⁹ So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the holy ones and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a certain Simon, a tanner.

CHAPTER 10

Peter and Cornelius

10 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Cohort, ² a devout man and one who feared God with all his household and gave many alms[50] to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. ³ About the ninth hour of the day[51] he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” ⁴ And he stared at him, terrified, and asked, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms[52] have ascended as a memorial before God. ⁵ And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. ⁶ He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ And when the angel who spoke to him departed, he summoned two of the household slaves and a devout soldier from those who attended him, ⁸ and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision

⁹ The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour[53] to pray. ¹⁰ But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; ¹¹ and he saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth, ¹² and in it were all sorts of four-footed animals and reptiles[54] of the earth and birds of heaven. ¹³ And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” ¹⁵ And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” ¹⁶ And this happened three times, and immediately the object[55] was taken up into heaven.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was greatly perplexed within himself as to what the vision that he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having found the house of Simon by asking around, stood at the gate. ¹⁸ And they called out and inquired whether Simon who was surnamed Peter was lodging there. ¹⁹ And while Peter was reflecting about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three[56] men are looking for you. ²⁰ Rise, go downstairs and be on your way with them, not doubting at all, for I have sent them.” ²¹ Peter went down to the men and said, “Look, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” ²² And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, and well spoken of by the whole nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to his house and to hear words from you.” ²³ So he invited them in and had them stay as his guests.

The next day he got up and went off with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. ²⁴ On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped[57] him. ²⁶ But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he went in and found many people assembled. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. ²⁹ So I came, without objection, when I was sent for. I ask you why you sent for me.”

³⁰ And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying[58] in my house at the ninth hour,[59] and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms[60] have been remembered before God. ³² Therefore, send to Joppa and call for Simon who is called Peter. This man is a guest in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Peter Speaks in Cornelius’ House

³⁴ So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears[61] him and works righteousness[62] is acceptable to him. ³⁶ As for the word that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that John proclaimed: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him. ³⁹ And we are witnesses of all the things that he did both in the land of the Judeans and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and made him visible, ⁴¹ not to all the people but to us who had been chosen beforehand by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² And he commanded us to proclaim to the people and to testify thoroughly that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ To him all the prophets bear witness that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵ All the circumcised believers[63] who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

CHAPTER 11

Peter’s Report to the Church at Jerusalem

11 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, ³ saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter went on to explain the matter in detail to them, saying, ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, an object something like a large sheet coming down, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me. ⁶ Looking closely into it, I observed four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles,[64] and birds of heaven. ⁷ And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing defiled[65] or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call defiled.’ ¹⁰ And this happened three times, and everything was pulled up again into heaven. ¹¹ And look, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is also called Peter; ¹⁴ he will speak words to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ Therefore if God gave them the same gift as also to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard these things, they became silent, and they glorified God, saying, “So, then, God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹ Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen went through as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists[66] also, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The report about them reached the ears of the congregation in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch, ²³ who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, ²⁴ for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. ²⁵ So he went to Tarsus to search for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the congregation[67] and taught quite a crowd; and in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.[68]

²⁷ Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the entire inhabited earth, which took place in the time of Claudius. ²⁹ So the disciples determined, each according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. ³⁰ and this they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

CHAPTER 12

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the congregation. ² And he killed James the brother of John with a sword. ³ And when he saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now this was during the feast of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers[69] to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the congregation.

Peter Is Miraculously Rescued

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping bound with two chains between two soldiers, and guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. ⁷ And look, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals!” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me!” ⁹ And he went out and followed, and he did not know that what took place through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. ¹¹ When Peter came to[70] himself,[71] he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”[72]

¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. ¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ And recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

The Death of Herod; Struck by an Angel

²⁰ Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the man in charge of the king’s bedchamber,[73] they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. ²¹ On an appointed day Herod put on his royal clothing and sat down on the judgment seat and began giving them a public address. ²² And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” ²³ And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴ But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying.

²⁵ And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, the one also called Mark.

CHAPTER 13

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

13 Now in the congregation at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus

⁴ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ And when they came to Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John as their attendant.[74] ⁶ And when they had crossed over the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “O man full of every sort of fraud and every sort of villainy, you son of the Devil, you enemy of everything righteous, will you not quit distorting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had happened, for he was astounded[75] at the teaching of the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they went on from Perga and arrived at Pisidian Antioch. And they entered into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbath and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our forefathers and exalted the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸ And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. ²⁰ This took about four hundred and fifty years. And after these things, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ ²³ From the descendants of this man, according to his promise, God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus. ²⁴ Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when they had carried out all the things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. ³² So we are declaring to you the good news about the promise made to the forefathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that he raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm,

“‘You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you.’[76]

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’[77]

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’[78]

³⁶ For David, after serving the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his forefathers, and saw corruption,[79] ³⁷ but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is freed from all things from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Therefore, beware that what is said in the Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”[80]

⁴² As they[81] went out, they[82] begged[83] for these matters to be spoken to them on the following sabbath. ⁴³ And after the synagogue assembly had broken up, many of the Jews and the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and were persuading them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴ The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.[84] ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting what was being spoken by Paul by reviling him. ⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, look, we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“‘I have appointed you a light for the Gentiles,
    that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”[85]

⁴⁸ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the prominent women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and they stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them outside their district. ⁵¹ But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 14

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14 Now in Iconium they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a manner that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³ So they stayed there for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. ⁴ But the multitude[86] of the city was divided, and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. ⁵ When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat and stone them, ⁶ they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region, ⁷ and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

⁸ Now in Lystra there was a certain man sitting whose feet were crippled. He was lame from his mother’s womb[87] and had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,[88] ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began walking. ¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when the apostles[89] Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you and proclaim the good news to you that you should turn from these vain things[90] to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ¹⁶ In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

The Return to Antioch in Syria

¹⁹ But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded[91] the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But while the disciples stood around him, he rose up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹ After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to remain in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ And when they had appointed elders for them in every congregation,[92] with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴ And they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. ²⁷ And when they arrived and gathered the congregation together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they stayed no little time with the disciples.

CHAPTER 15

The Council at Jerusalem

15 And certain men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputing with them, the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. ³ So, being sent on their way by the congregation, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. ⁴ When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the congregation and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.”

⁶ And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. ⁷ And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. ⁹ And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our forefathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way they are.”

¹² And all the assembly became silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³ And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Men and brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. ¹⁵ And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

¹⁶ “‘After these things I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen,
and I will rebuild its ruins,
     and I will restore it,
¹⁷ so that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
    and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called,[93]
     says the Lord, who makes these things ¹⁸ known from of old.’

¹⁹ Therefore, in my judgment, we should not trouble those among the Gentiles who turn to God, ²⁰ but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who proclaim him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

The Reply of the Council

²² Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, ²³ and they wrote this letter sent by them, “The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to the brothers in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. ²⁴ Since we have heard that some went out from among us and troubled you with words, unsettling your souls,[94] although we gave them no instructions, ²⁵ it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. ²⁸ For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: ²⁹ that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

³⁰ So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. ³² And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, encouraged the brothers with many words, and strengthened them. ³³ And after spending some time, they were sent away in peace from the brothers to those who had sent them. ³⁴ ——[95] ³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching,[96] and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul and Barnabas Separate

³⁶ And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas was planning to take with them John, who was called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul thought it not good to take with them the one who withdrew from them from Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ And there arose a sharp eruption of anger, so that they separated from one another. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cypress, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the congregations.

CHAPTER 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra: and look, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman but of a Greek father. ² He was well reported on by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decrees to observe that had been decided on by the apostles and the elders who were in Jerusalem. ⁵ So the congregations were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in number daily.

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

⁶ And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷ And when they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them. ⁸ So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a certain man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

¹¹ So we put out to sea from Troas and made a straight run to Samothrace, but on the following day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ And a certain woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a merchant dealing in purple cloth who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Now it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain female slave with a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us and was crying out, saying, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And she was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed and turning around, said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out that very hour.

¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. ²⁰ And when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, ²¹ and are proclaiming customs that are not permitted for us to accept or to practice, because we are Romans.” ²² And the crowd joined in attacking them, and the chief magistrates tore off their garments and gave orders to beat them with rods. ²³ And after they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. ²⁴ Having received such an order, he put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer

²⁵ But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do no harm to yourself, for we are all here!” ²⁹ And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, ³⁰ And after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe[97] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his household. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

³⁵ And when it was day, the chief magistrates sent the police officers, saying, “Release those men.” ³⁶ And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans,[98] and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸ So the police officers reported these words to the chief magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. ³⁹ So they came and pleaded with them, and after escorting them out, they requested them to depart from the city. ⁴⁰ But they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

CHAPTER 17

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and proving that it was necessary that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ⁴ And some of them were persuaded[99] and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews, became jealous, gathered together some wicked men from the marketplace and formed a mob and threw the city into an uproar, attacking the house of Jason and were seeking to have Paul and Silas brought out to the mob. 6 And when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city rulers, shouting, “These men who have turned the inhabited earth upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the crowd and the city rulers were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken security[100] from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

¹⁰ The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness,[101] examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ¹² Therefore many of them believed, and not a few of the prominent Greek women and men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the message of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴ And then immediately the brothers sent Paul to go as far as to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.

Paul at Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ And certain ones of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler[102] wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,” because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus,[103] saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

²² So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. ²³ For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ Therefore, what you are unknowingly worshiping, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and all things in it, he being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, ²⁵ nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶ and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷ that they should seek God, if they might grope for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us, ²⁸ for by him we have life and move and exist, even as some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’

²⁹ Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and design of man. ³⁰ Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,[104] ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

³² Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, but others said, “We will hear you concerning this also again.” ³³ So Paul went out from among them. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

CHAPTER 18

Paul at Corinth

18 After these things he departed from Athens and went to Corinth. ² And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, ³ and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. ⁴ And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade[105] Jews and Greeks.

⁵ But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁶ And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” ⁷ And leaving there, he entered into the house of someone named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. ⁹ And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment-seat, ¹³ saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” ¹⁴ But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you. ¹⁵ But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.” ¹⁶ And he drove them away from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ So they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned with these things.

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸ After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. ¹⁹ And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. ²¹ but taking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again[106] if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus.

²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch. ²³ After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus

²⁴ Now a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent man, arrived in Ephesus; and he was well versed in the Scriptures. ²⁵ This man had been orally instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; ²⁶ and this man began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

CHAPTER 19

Paul at Ephesus

19 And it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions and came to Ephesus and found some disciples. ² And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “But we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into the baptism of John.” ⁴ And Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. ⁷ There were in all about twelve men.

⁸ And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some were becoming hardened and refused to believe, speaking evil of the Way before the crowd, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This continued for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

The Sons of Sceva

¹¹ And God kept performing extraordinary powerful works through the hands of Paul, ¹² so that even cloths and aprons that had touched his body were carried to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the wicked spirits came out. ¹³ But some itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” ¹⁴ Now there were seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit answered and said to them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with, but who are you?” ¹⁶ And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, subdued all of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ And this became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸ And many of those who had believed came, confessing and disclosing their practices, ¹⁹ And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone. And they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord was growing and prevailing.

The Riot at Ephesus

²¹ Now after these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²² And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³ About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. ²⁵ These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. ²⁶ And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this man Paul has persuaded[107] and turned away a large crowd by saying that the gods made by hands are not gods. ²⁷ And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and she who is worshiped in the whole province of Asia and the inhabited earth will be deprived of her magnificence.”

²⁸ When they had heard this, they were full of rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰ But when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. ³¹ And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. ³² Some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ So they brought Alexander out of the crowd, the Jews shoving him forward, and Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make a defense[108] to the people. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all started shouting in one voice for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? ³⁶ Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. ⁴⁰ For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” ⁴¹ After saying this he dismissed the assembly.

CHAPTER 20

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and having exhorted them took leave of them and departed for Macedonia. ² When he had gone through these parts and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. ⁴ And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us in Troas. ⁶ But we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread and came to them at Troas within five days, where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised from the Dead

⁷ On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. ⁹ And a certain young man named Eutychus who was sitting in the window was sinking into a deep sleep while Paul was talking at length. Being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be alarmed, for his soul[109] is in him.” ¹¹ And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. ¹² And they led the boy away alive and were greatly comforted.

¹³ But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. ¹⁵ And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia,[110] for he was hastening to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders

¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the congregation to come to him. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, ²¹ testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, look, I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But I do not account my soul[111] of any value nor as precious to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. 

²⁵ And now, look, I know that all of you, among whom I went about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more. ²⁶ Therefore, I testify[112] to you this day that I am innocent of[113] the blood of all men. ²⁷ For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. ²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the congregation[114] of God, which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.[115] ²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night and day to admonish every one with tears. ³² And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I coveted no man’s silver or gold or apparel. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. ³⁵ In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And there was much weeping on the part of all; and they fell upon Paul’s neck and kissed him, ³⁸ being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

CHAPTER 21

Paul Goes to Jerusalem

21 And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² And having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³ When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴ And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵ When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed, ⁶ and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned to their homes.

⁷ When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and having greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. ⁸ And on the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ Now this man had four virgin daughters, who prophesied. ¹⁰ And while we were staying there many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” ¹² And when we heard these things, both we and those who were there began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we became silent and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

¹⁵ Now after these days we prepared and went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

Paul Visits James

¹⁷ And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. ¹⁸ And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; ²¹ and they have been told about you that you have been teaching all the Jews among the nations an apostasy[116] from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. ²² What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who have a vow upon themselves; ²⁴ take them and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. ²⁵ But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” ²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day having purified himself along with them, he went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be completed and the offering presented for each one of them.

Paul Arrested in the Temple

²⁷ But when the seven days were about to be completed, the Jews from Asia who had seen him in the temple stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the Law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ Then the whole city was stirred up, and the people ran together, and they seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. ³¹ And as they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the chiliarch[117] of the soldiers that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³² He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the chiliarch[118] and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the chiliarch^[119] came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ But some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. ³⁵ And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, ³⁶ for the multitude of the people was following them, shouting, “Away with him!”

Paul Speaks to the People

³⁷ As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the chiliarch,^[120] “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Sicarii[121] out into the wilderness?” ³⁹ But Paul said, “I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:

CHAPTER 22

22 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make to you.”

² And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language,[122] they became even more quiet. And he said,

³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. ⁴ I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, ⁵ as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus in order to bring even those who were there in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

⁶ “And it happened that as I was traveling and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a very bright light from heaven flashed around me, ⁷ and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Now the men who were with me saw the light, indeed, but did not hear the voice[123] of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ So I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told to you about all the things that have been appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

¹² “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘The God of our forefathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; ¹⁵ for you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Paul Sent to the Gentiles

¹⁷ “It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself also was standing near and was approving, and was guarding the outer garments of those who were killing him.’ ²¹ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

²² Now they were listening to him until this word, and they raised their voices, saying, “Take such a man away from the earth, for he was not fit to live!” ²³ And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air, ²⁴ the chiliarch^[124] ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him this way. ²⁵ But when they had stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it permitted for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?”[125] ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the chiliarch^[126] and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” ²⁷ The chiliarch^[127] came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The chiliarch^[128] answered, “I purchased these rights as a citizen for a large sum of money.” Paul said: “But I have them by birth.” ²⁹ So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the chiliarch^[129] also was afraid when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

Paul Before the Council

³⁰ But on the next day, because he wanted to know the true reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he released him and commanded the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble, and he brought Paul down and had him stand among them.

CHAPTER 23

23 And looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, “Men and brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God to this day.” ² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! And are you sitting there judging me according to the Law, and acting contrary to the Law do you order me to be struck?” ⁴ But those standing by said, “Are you reviling the high priest of God?” ⁵ And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’

⁶ Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead!” ⁷ And when he said this, a dispute erupted between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹ And a great uproar broke out, and some of the scribes of the party of the Pharisees rose and began arguing fiercely, saying: “We find nothing wrong with this man, but what if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?”[130] ¹⁰ And when the dispute became severe, the chiliarch,^[131] fearing lest Paul be torn apart by them, ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

The Plot against Paul’s Life

¹² When it became day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty men who formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ These men came to the chief priests and the elders and said, We have solemnly bound ourselves with a curse not to eat anything at all until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ So now you together with the Sanhedrin should inform the chiliarch^[132] that he should bring him down to you as though you want to examine his case more thoroughly. But before he gets near, we will be ready to kill him.”

¹⁶ But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, and he came and entered the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the chiliarch,^[133] because he has something to report to him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the chiliarch^[134] and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” ¹⁹ The chiliarch^[135] took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” ²⁰ And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you that you bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly concerning him. ²¹ You therefore do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are waiting to ambush him, and they have bound themselves with a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him; and they are now ready, waiting for the promise from you.” ²² So the chiliarch^[136] dismissed the young man, commanding him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

²³ Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour[137] of the night. ²⁴ Also, provide horses for Paul to ride, to take him safely to Felix the governor.” ²⁵ And he wrote a letter with this content:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings. ²⁷ This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. ²⁸ And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. ²⁹ I found him to be accused about questions of their Law, but not charged with a single thing deserving of death or prison bonds. ³⁰ And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to speak against him before you.

³¹ So these soldiers took Paul according to their orders and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² And on the next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ³³ When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. ³⁴ And when he had read it, he asked of what province he was from, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive also,” giving orders for him to be kept in the praetorium[138] of Herod.

CHAPTER 24

The Case against Paul

24 And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman,[139] one Tertullus, and they brought their case to the governor against Paul. ² And when he was called, Tertullus started accusing him, saying:

“Seeing that by you we enjoy great peace, and since by your foresight reforms are being made for this nation, ³ at all times and also in all places we acknowledge this, most excellent Felix, with all gratitude. ⁴ But so that I may not detain you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly in your kindness. ⁵ For we have found this man to be a pest, stirring up seditions among all the Jews throughout the inhabited earth, and he is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶ He even tried to desecrate the temple, but we seized him. ⁷ ——[140] ⁸ When you examine him yourself, you will find out about all these things of which we are accusing him.”

⁹ And the Jews also joined in the attack, asserting these things were so.

¹⁰ And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. ¹¹ As you can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, ¹² and neither in the temple did they find me disputing with any man or stirring up a crowd, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city. ¹³ Neither can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our forefathers, believing all things that are in accordance with the Law and that are written in the prophets, ¹⁵ having a hope in God, which hope these men await, that there is going to be a resurrection[141] of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ¹⁶ For this reason also I myself always strive to maintain a clear conscience before God and men. ¹⁷ Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings, ¹⁸ in which they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or uproar. But there were some Jews from Asia, ¹⁹ who ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the Sanhedrin, ²¹ other than for this one statement that I shouted out while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.’”

Paul Held in Custody

²² But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the chiliarch^[142] comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some freedom, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

²⁴ After some days, when Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ And while he was discussing about righteousness and self control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and replied, “Go away for the present, and when I have an opportunity, I will summon you.” ²⁶ At the same time he was hoping that Paul would give him money. For that reason, he sent for him often and conversed with him. ²⁷ But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

CHAPTER 25

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25 Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. ² And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews gave him information against Paul, and they were urging him, ³ asking a favor against him, that he summons him to Jerusalem, because they were planning to ambush Paul and kill him along the way. ⁴ However, Festus answered that Paul was to be kept in Caesarea and that he himself was about to go back there shortly. ⁵ “Therefore,” he said, “let the men of power among you go there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”

⁶ After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷ When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they were unable to prove, ⁸ while Paul said in his defense, “Neither against the Law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I committed any sin.” ⁹ But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be judged before me there concerning these things?” ¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. ¹¹ If then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no man can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.”[143] ¹² Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice

¹³ Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. ¹⁴ And while they were staying there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a certain man who was left as a prisoner by Felix; ¹⁵ and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a judgment of condemnation against him. ¹⁶ I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up any man before the one who had been accused met his accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense[144] concerning the charge laid against him. ¹⁷ So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day I sat down on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of such evil things as I supposed. ¹⁹ But they had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive. ²⁰ Being at a loss how to investigate such things, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there concerning these things. ²¹ But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” ²² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you will hear him.”

Paul before Agrippa

²³ So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the military commanders and prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him. ²⁶ But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”

CHAPTER 26

Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa

26 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense:[145]

² “Concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that before you I am to make my defense this day; ³ especially because you are an expert in all customs and controversies among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews; ⁵ having known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that in accordance with the strictest party of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. ⁶ And now I stand here on trial on the basis of hope in the promise made by God to our fathers; ⁷ to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. And concerning this hope I am being accused by the Jews, O king! ⁸ “Why is it judged[146] unbelievable among you that God raises up the dead?

⁹ “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to outlying cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

¹² “While doing this as I was traveling to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests. ¹³ At midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴ And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language,[147] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’[148] ¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; ¹⁷ rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

¹⁹ “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem and all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles, I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance. ²¹ For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²² To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: ²³ that the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.”

Festus’ and Agrippa’s Responses

²⁴ And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is turning you to madness.” ²⁵ But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.[149] ²⁶ For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” ²⁸ And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade[150] me to become a Christian.”[151] ²⁹ And Paul said, “I wish to God that whether in a short time or in a long time, not only you but also all those who hear me today would become men such as I am, with the exception of these prison bonds.”

³⁰ Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. ³¹ And when they had withdrawn, they began saying to one another, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or prison bonds.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

CHAPTER 27

Paul Sails for Rome

27 And when it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius of the Augustan Cohort. ² And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. ³ The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul with human affection[152] and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. ⁴ And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. ⁵ And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. ⁶ And there the centurion found a ship[153] of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. ⁷ When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone. ⁸ And sailing with difficulty along the coast, we came to a place called Fair Havens, which was near the city of Lasea.

⁹ And because considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast[154] was already over, Paul began to admonish them, ¹⁰ and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹ But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the owner of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. ¹² And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow, they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete that opens toward the northeast and toward the southeast and spend the winter there.

The Storm at Sea

¹³ And when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. ¹⁴ But after no long time there rushed down a tempestuous wind,[155] called Euraquilo.[156] ¹⁵ And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. ¹⁶ And running under the lee of a certain small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control. ¹⁷ But after hoisting it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship, and fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis,[157] they lowered the gear and so were driven along. ¹⁸ Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. ¹⁹ And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest[158] lay on us, all hope that we would be saved was now taken away.

²¹ Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up in their midst and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. ²² Yet now I now urge you to take courage, for not one soul will be lost, but only of the ship. ²³ For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, ²⁴ saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will be exactly as I was told. ²⁶ But we must run aground on a certain island.”

²⁷ But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near some land. ²⁸ They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms;[159] and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. ²⁹ Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak to come. ³⁰ And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.

³³ And until the day was about to dawn, Paul was urging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you been waiting anxiously, and you have gone without taking any food at all. ³⁴ Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is necessary for your preservation, for not a hair of the head of any one of you will be lost.” ³⁵ And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ So they all were encouraged and they themselves also took food. ³⁷ And all of us souls in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six. ³⁸ And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

The Shipwreck

³⁹ Now when day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay having a beach, onto which they decided to run the ship ashore if they could. ⁴⁰ And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. ⁴¹ But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. ⁴² The plan of the soldiers was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. ⁴³ But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ⁴⁴ and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. So all were brought safely to land.

CHAPTER 28

Paul on the Island of Malta

28 And after we were brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Melita.[160] ² The barbarians[161] showed us extraordinary kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. ³ And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. ⁴ When the barbarians saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice[162] has not allowed him to live.” ⁵ However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ But they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly to fall down dead. So after they had waited for a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god.

⁷ Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸ And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. ⁹ And after this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. ¹⁰ They also honored us with much respect, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

¹¹ And after three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods[163] as a figurehead. ¹² Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. ¹³ And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days, and so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ And the brothers, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Taverns[164] to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. ¹⁶ And when we entered into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.

Paul Preaches in Rome

¹⁷ After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our forefathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. ¹⁸ And when they had examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. ¹⁹ But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; though I had no charge to bring against my nation. ²⁰ For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, for because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” ²¹ And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. ²² But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for concerning this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”

²³ When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening, he was explaining to them, testifying to the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade[165] them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. ²⁴ And some were persuaded by what was said, but others refused to believe. ²⁵ And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers,

²⁶ saying, ‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will keep on hearing[166] but never understand,
    and you will keep on seeing but never perceive.”
²⁷ For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
    and turn, and I would heal them.’[167]

²⁸ Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” ²⁹ ——[168]

³⁰ So he remained two whole years in his own rented house, and welcomed all who came to him, ³¹ proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

[1] Zealot, the: (ζηλωτής zēlōtēs) A fervent proponent of Israel’s national independence, and enthusiast, adherent, zealot (Ac 21:20; 22:3; 1Co 14:12; Gal 1:14; Tit 2:14; 1Pe 3:13); nationalist, the Zealot, – Lk 6:15; Ac 1:13. Cananaean, the: (Καναναῖος Kananaios) A term from Aramaic, meaning ‘Zealot,’ ‘the zealous one,’ ‘enthusiast.’ (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18) This was a name used to distinguish the apostle Simon from the apostle Simon Peter. This name is not a geographical reference to Cana or Canaan. These were members who belonged to a Jewish nationalistic party, the Zealots, seeking independence from Rome. Referring to Simon as “the Zealot” or “the zealous one” does not automatically mean that at some point, he was associated with the political group known as the Zealots. The designation may have been related to his character and temperament.

[2] Or languages

[3] Or enable them to speak

[4] That is, the language of his birth

[5] That is, 9 a.m.

[6] A quotation from Joel 2:28-32

[7] Foreknowledge: (πρόγνωσις prognōsis) The Greek noun simply means to plan in advance, have knowledge beforehand, what is known beforehand, that which is known ahead of time or before a particular temporal reference. (Acts 2:23; 1 Pet. 1:2) If we accept the equation that foreknowledge equals foreordain, sin is the result, not the result of Adam’s choice, but of God’s choosing, which should make us feel uncomfortable. Foreknowledge does not equal foreordain. It is better to understand that God knows in advance what choice people will freely make. The free decisions of human beings determine what foreknowledge God has of them, as opposed to the reverse. The foreknowledge does not determine the free decision; it is the free decisions that determine the foreknowledge. In this, we can distinguish what we might call Chronological Priority and Logical Priority. Chronological priority would mean that Event “A” [God’s knowledge], as it relates to time, would come before Event “B” [the event God foreknows]. Thus, God’s knowledge is chronologically prior to the event that he foreknows. However, logically speaking, the event is prior to God’s foreknowledge. In other words, the event does not happen because God foreknows it, but God foreknows the event because it will happen. The event is logically prior to the foreknowledge, so he foreknows it because it will happen, even though the foreknowledge is chronologically prior to the event. We can see foreknowledge in this as the foreshadowing of something. When you see the shadow of someone coming around the corner of the building, you see their shadow on the ground before you see the person. You know that person is about to come around the corner because of their shadow, but the shadow does not determine the person; the person determines the shadow. God’s foreknowledge is like the foreshadowing of a future event. By seeing this foreshadowing, you know the events will happen, But the shadow does not determine the reality; the reality determines the shadow. Therefore, we should think of God’s foreknowledge as the foreshadowing of things to come. Therefore, just because God will know something will happen, this does not prejudice or remove the freedom of that happening. In fact, if the events were to happen differently, God’s foreknowledge would be different as well. An illustration of this is as an infallible barometer of the weather. Whatever the barometer says, you know what the weather will be like because it is infallible. However, the barometer does not determine the temperature; the weather determines the barometer’s findings. Thus, God’s foreknowledge is like an infallible barometer of the future. It lets him know what the future will be, but it does not constrain the future in any way. The future will happen anyway the free moral agent wants it to happen. However, the barometer will track whatever direction the future will take. Suppose this is the timeline . . . . . . . . . . Let us place an event “E” on the timeline, i.e., Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Let us suppose God is back here in time, and by his foreknowledge (the dotted line), he knows that “E” will happen (Judas will betray Jesus). How does God’s knowledge about “E” constrain “E” from happening? How can God’s knowing “E” will occur make “E” occur?

If you were to erase the line and say God does not have foreknowledge of the future, how has anything changed? How would “E” (Judas’ betrayal) be affected if you erased God’s foreknowledge of it? “E” (Judas’ betrayal) would occur just the same; it would not affect anything at all. Therefore, the presence of God’s foreknowledge really does not prejudice anything about whether “E” will occur or not. What we need to understand is this, if Judas (“E”) were not to betray Jesus, then God would not have foreknown Judas’ betrayal (“E”) of Jesus because it would not have been on the timeline. In addition, as long as that statement is true, “E” being able to occur and not occur, God’s foreknowledge does not prejudice anything concerning “E’s” occurrence. – Attribution: Much of this information is borrowed from a Dr. William Lane Craig video.

[8] Hades (ᾅδης hadēs) is the standard transliteration of the Greek into English, which occurs ten times in the UASV. (Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Lu 10:15; 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14.) It has the underlying meaning of ‘a place of the dead, where they are conscious of nothing, awaiting a resurrection, for both the righteous and the unrighteous.’ (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) It corresponds to “Sheol” in the OT. It does not involve torment and punishment. Adam was told, “in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) The Bible says, “the soul that sins will die.” (Eze 18:4, 20) The apostle Paul says, “the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) Paul also said, “those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These ones will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, from before the Lord.” – 2 Thessalonian 1:8-9.

[9] Or one of his offspring

[10] The original words were “[from David] he would seat one on the throne” (א A B C cop^bo,) A variant reading is “[from David] according to the flesh he would raise up the Christ to sit on the throne” (D P 049 056 0142 (Ψ 33) Maj).

[11] Hades (ᾅδης hadēs) is the standard transliteration of the Greek into English, which occurs ten times in the UASV. (Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Lu 10:15; 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14.) It has the underlying meaning of ‘a place of the dead, where they are conscious of nothing, awaiting a resurrection, for both the righteous and the unrighteous.’ (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) It corresponds to “Sheol” in the OT. It does not involve torment and punishment. Adam was told, “in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) The Bible says, “the soul that sins will die.” (Eze 18:4, 20) The apostle Paul says, “the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) Paul also said, “those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These ones will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, from before the Lord.” – 2 Thessalonian 1:8-9.

[12] A quotation from Ps 110:1

[13] Apostle: (ἀπόστολος apostolos) The basic sense of the word is a “messenger, representative,” or “sent one.” This was a special messenger or envoy of Jesus Christ. In the Greek NT, “apostolos” is used primarily concerning those who were taught directly by Jesus and who were given the authority to speak in his place, especially the twelve disciples that Jesus personally selected. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Paul, a direct choice of the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ, was also referred to as an apostle. – Matt 10:2; Mark 3:14; Ac 2:37; 14:14; Rom. 1:1; Heb. 3:1.

[14] Repentance: The (μετανοέω metanoeō and μεταμέλομαι metamelomai) means to repent, to change one’s way, repentance. It means that we change our minds about our sinful actions or conduct, being dissatisfied with that personality trait. We feel regret, contrition, or compunction for what we have done or failed to do. We change our way of life because we have changed our view, way of thinking, mindset, attitude, and disposition regarding our sinful behavior. We have a change of heart and mind, abandoning our former way of thinking, feeling, and acting. The result is our becoming a new self, with new behavior and having a genuine regret over our former ways. No one can testify but our own spirit that we have repented; we may make professions of repentance, and the world may believe we are thoroughly sincere, but our own spirit may tell us that our profession is false. In other words, genuine repentance will bring about results that we know to be true. – Matt. 3:2; 12:41; Mark 1:15; Lu 10:13; 15:10; 17:3; Ac 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 2 Cor. 12:21; Rev. 2:5-3:19.

[15] That is, persons

[16] Lit the prayers

[17] That is, 3 p.m.

[18] That is, gifts of mercy

[19] That is, gifts of mercy

[20] That is, gifts of mercy

[21] Astonished: (θαμβέω thambeō; derivative of thambos) This one is experiencing astonishment, to be astounded, or amazed because of some sudden and unusual event, which can be in a positive or negative sense. – Mark 1:27; 10:32; Lu 4:36; 5:9; Acts 3:10.

[22] That is, Solomon’s Colonnade

[23] Or the chief cornerstone

[24] Or unlettered (YLT) that is, not educated in the rabbinic schools; not meaning illiterate.

[25] Or foreordained

[26] Bold; Boldness: This Greek word (τολμάω tolmaō) rendered “bold” means to be courageous enough to face persecution and hardships for the faith, to do more in the Lord. It means to dare, bold, and courageous (Mt 22:46; Mk 15:43; Jn 21:12; Ac 7:32; Ro 5:7; 15:18; 1Co 6:1; Php 1:14; Jude 9) In the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, we find the believers praying for boldness. “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31) The Greek word (παρρησία parrēsia) translated “boldness” means to be outspoken, frank, and plain. However, boldness does not mean to be blunt or rude to those that are being evangelized. (Col. 4:6) Boldness is a quality or characteristic that Christians need to acquire through prayer and the Holy Spirit. (Luke 11:13; 1 Thess. 5:17) Jesus explicitly says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” (Acts 1:8) The imprisoned apostle Paul wrote from his incarceration: “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.” Paul spoke of his ministry in Thessalonica, “but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much conflict.” (1 Thess. 2:2) Paul closes out the book of Acts preaching in Rome, “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” – Acts 28:31.

[27] The Greek for you is plural

[28] Congregation: (Heb. קָהַל qahal; Gr. ἐκκλησία ekklēsia) A congregation of Christians. A group of Christians who gather for a Christian meeting, implying an interacting membership. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it usually refers to the nation of Israel, i.e., “the assembly of Israel” or “the congregation of Israel.” The Greek New Testament refers to congregations of Christians and the Christian congregation as a whole. – Num. 20:8; Deut. 4:10; 1 Ki 8:22; Ac 9:31; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 14:4.

[29] That is, Solomon’s Colonnade

[30] Wood: (Gr. xulon) simply means wood or anything made of wood and, of course, it can be used to refer to a tree.

[31] Or followed

[32] Persuasion: (Gr. πεισμονή peismonē,  πείθω peithō) The Greek word literally means to 1.) persuade, convince (Matt. 27:20; Ac 12:20; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 23:28; 26:28). It means “to be assured of” or “to be convinced and certain of the truth of something.” Through the art of persuasion, one can cause another to adopt a certain position, view, belief, or course of action. Someone convinces or persuades another by bringing about a change of mind by means of sound, logical reasoning. Someone convinces or persuades another to adopt a new belief and to act on that belief. It also means to 2.) trust, rely (Lu 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:9); 3.) be assured (1 John 3:19); 4.) obey (Heb. 13:17); 5.) be a follower, be a disciple (Ac 5:36, 37); 6.) be certain, be sure (Heb. 13:18).

[33] Or took his advice

[34] That is the Greek-speaking Jews

[35] That is the Hebrew-speaking Jews

[36] Chaldea; Chaldeans: (Arm. כַּשְׂדָּי Kasday; Gr Χαλδαῖος Chaldaios) This is a member of an ancient people who lived in an ancient region of Mesopotamia lying between the Euphrates delta and the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Desert. Eventually, the term was used in reference to all of Babylonia and its people. The term was also used in reference to an educated class of people who studied science, history, languages, and astronomy. They also have magic and astrology as well. – Ezra 5:12; Dan. 4:7; Ac 7:4.

[37] Or mistreat, treat them ill

[38] Or exposed

[39] Sayings: (Gr. logia, on [only in the plural]) A saying or message, usually short, especially divine, gathered into a collection.–Acts 7:38; Romans 3:2; Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 4:11.

[40] A quotation from Amos 5:25–27

[41] Asleep in death: In the Scriptures, we find the expressions “sleep” (κοιμάω koimaō) and “fall asleep” (κοιμάω koimaō), with both referring to physical sleep and the sleep of death. (Matthew 28:13; Acts 7:60) When the context refers to death, Bible translators can use a footnote to express to “fall asleep in death.” The same is true in the Hebrew (פֶּן־אִישַׁ֥ן הַמָּֽוֶת׃ pen-isān) “sleep in death” (Psa. 13:3). “David slept (שָׁכַב shakab) with his forefathers.” (1 Ki 2 10) Jesus said to the disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep (κεκοίμηται kekoimētai), but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep (κεκοίμηται kekoimētai), he will get well.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death (θάνατος thanatos), but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. (ὕπνος hupnos). Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died (ἀποθνῄσκω apothnēskō) …” (John 11:11-13) Some have argued that the dynamic equivalent thought-for-thought translations, for example, (Then David died and was buried, NLT) are conveying the idea more clearly and immediately, but is this really the case? Retaining the literal rendering, the metaphorical use of the word sleep is best because of the similarities between physical sleep and the sleep of death. Without the literal rendering, this would be lost on the reader. Retaining the literal rendering, “slept,” and adding the phrase “in death” in a footnote completes the sense in the English text. Sense: to be asleep in death; the figurative extension of the physical sleep in the sense of being at rest and at peace; the person in the sleep of death exists in God’s memory as they sleep in death; it is only temporary for those who are physically asleep, so it will be true of those who are asleep in death. The idea that death is like a deep sleep that one awakens from at some future point is made by multiple authors and Jesus Christ when talking about Lazarus. – 1 Kings 2:10; Psa. 13:3; Matt 28:13; John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor 7:39; 1 Thess. 4:13; 2 Pet 3:4.

[42] Straight (as opposed to crooked) has the sense of right or upright or just.

[43] Gall of bitterness is an idiom that is referring to someone who is especially jealous or envious or resentful of another.

[44] This is being bound literally or figuratively with a chain that is used to restrain a prisoner or a slave, which was usually placed around the ankles.

[45] A quotation from Isaiah 53:7–8

[46] The earliest and best Greek manuscripts (P^45, 74 א A B C) as well as 33 81 614 vg syr^p,h cop^sa,bo eth Chrysostom Ambrose do not contain vs 37, while other manuscripts 4^mg (E 1739 it syr^h** Irenaeus Cyprian) contain, And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” If this were apart of the original, there is no good reason why it would be missing in so many early witnesses and versions. This is a classic example of a scribe taking liberties with the text by answering the Eunuch’s question (“Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”) with ancient Christian baptismal practices from a later age.

[47] That is, the apostle Paul prior to his conversion. Saul is his Hebrew name and Paul is his Roman name.

[48] Or sound (See footnote on Acts 22:9)

[49] That is, the Greek-speaking Jews

[50] That is, gifts of mercy

[51] That is, 3:00 p.m.

[52] That is, gifts of mercy

[53] That is, about 12:00 noon.

[54] Or crawling creatures

[55] Lit vessel

[56] (ἄνδρες τρεῖς ζητοῦντες σε) “three men are looking for you” is supported by early evidence (א A C), as well as P⁷⁴ E 33 1739 syr^p, cop, and is in harmony with internal evidence of Acts 10:7. Another reading can make sense but only has one strong manuscript (B) for support. (ανδρες δυο ζητουντες σε “two men are looking for you.” A third variant (ανδρες ζητουντες σε “men are looking for you” is supported by D Ψ Maj syr. It too makes sense and is essentially true, but it lacks the external evidence and the internal evidence that Cornelius had sent two of his slaves and one soldier, namely, three men. – Acts 10:7.

[57] Or prostrated himself before him

[58] “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour” is the original reading based on P⁷⁴ א A* B C 1739. We have a scribal expansion of “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house” in P⁵⁰ A² (D*) Ψ Maj it syr cop^sa.

[59] That is, 3 p.m.

[60] That is, gifts of mercy

[61] This is a reverential fear of displeasing God because of one’s great love for him. It is not a dreadful fear.

[62] That is, does what is right

[63] That is, faithful ones

[64] Or creeping things

[65] That is, ritually unclean

[66] That is, Greek-speaking people

[67] Congregation: (Heb. קָהַל qahal; Gr. ἐκκλησία ekklēsia) A congregation of Christians. A group of Christians who gather for a Christian meeting, implying an interacting membership. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it usually refers to the nation of Israel, i.e., “the assembly of Israel” or “the congregation of Israel.” The Greek New Testament refers to congregations of Christians and the Christian congregation as a whole. – Num. 20:8; Deut. 4:10; 1 Ki 8:22; Ac 9:31; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 14:4.

[68] Christian: (Χριστιανός Christianos) This is the name God gave to the followers of Jesus Christ, which is found only three times in the Greek New Testament. It was first “in Antioch [Syria] the disciples were first called Christians.” (Ac 11:26) There is a likelihood then that this name was used as early as the year 44 C.E. when the circumstances surrounding this text took place. Yet, the grammatical structure of this phrase does not necessarily make it so. Some Bible scholars contend that it was a little later. Regardless, the name was well known and was being used by about 58 C.E. in the city of Caesarea, even by public officials. At that time, King Herod Agrippa II said to the apostle Paul: “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” – Ac 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16.

[69] Lit quaternions; a quaternion was composed of four soldiers; so, four shifts of four soldiers

[70] Lit in himself

[71] That is, when Peter came to realize what was happening

[72] Lit the expectation of the people of the Jews

[73] Blastus was a trusted personal attendant, who was, in essence, in charge of the king’s household affairs. He held a position of influence, to the point that the people of Tyre and Sidon seeking peace with Herod, came first to persuade Blastus, possibly with a bribe.

[74] Or an assistant

[75] Astounded: (ἐκπλήσσω ekplēssō) This one is extremely astounded or amazed, so much so that the person loses their mental self-control, as they are overwhelmed emotionally. – Matt. 7:28; Mark 1:22; 7:37; Lu 2:48; 4:32; 9:43; Ac 13:12.

[76] A quotation from Ps 2:7

[77] A quotation from Isa 55:3

[78] A quotation from Ps 16:10

[79] That is, decayed

[80] A quotation from Hab. 1:5

[81] They are Paul, Barnabas, and the other companions.

[82] They here are referring to the people.

[83] The original words were “As they went out, they begged” (P⁷⁴ א A (B) C Ψ 33 1739) A variant reading is “and when they left the synagogue of the Jews, the Gentiles were begging” (Maj).

[84] The original reading was (ἀκοῦσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου) “to hear the word of the Lord,” which is supported by P⁷⁴ א A B² 33 1739. This manuscript evidence is slightly better that another variant reading (ακουσαι τον λογον του θεου) “to hear the word of God,” which is supported by B* C E Ψ Maj. It is far more likely that a scribe would be more likely to change “word of the Lord” to “word of God” than the other way round. A third variant is (ακουσαι Παυλου πολυν τε λογον ποιησαμενου περι του κυριου) “to hear Paul telling about the Lord in many words,” which is supported by D it^d.

[85] A reference to Isa 42:6; 49:6

[86] Or people

[87] That is from birth

[88] Or to be saved

[89] Apostle: (ἀπόστολος apostolos) The basic sense of the word is a “messenger, representative,” or “sent one.” This was a special messenger or envoy of Jesus Christ. In the Greek NT, “apostolos” is used primarily concerning those who were taught directly by Jesus and who were given the authority to speak in his place, especially the twelve disciples that Jesus personally selected. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Paul, a direct choice of the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ, was also referred to as an apostle. – Matt 10:2; Mark 3:14; Ac 2:37; 14:14; Rom. 1:1; Heb. 3:1.

[90] That is, idols

[91] Persuasion: (Gr. πεισμονή peismonē,  πείθω peithō) The Greek word literally means to 1.) persuade, convince (Matt. 27:20; Ac 12:20; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 23:28; 26:28). It means “to be assured of” or “to be convinced and certain of the truth of something.” Through the art of persuasion, one can cause another to adopt a certain position, view, belief, or course of action. Someone convinces or persuades another by bringing about a change of mind by means of sound, logical reasoning. Someone convinces or persuades another to adopt a new belief and to act on that belief. It also means to 2.) trust, rely (Lu 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:9); 3.) be assured (1 John 3:19); 4.) obey (Heb. 13:17); 5.) be a follower, be a disciple (Ac 5:36, 37); 6.) be certain, be sure (Heb. 13:18).

[92] Congregation: (Heb. קָהַל qahal; Gr. ἐκκλησία ekklēsia) A congregation of Christians. A group of Christians who gather for a Christian meeting, implying an interacting membership. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it usually refers to the nation of Israel, i.e., “the assembly of Israel” or “the congregation of Israel.” The Greek New Testament refers to congregations of Christians and the Christian congregation as a whole. – Num. 20:8; Deut. 4:10; 1 Ki 8:22; Ac 9:31; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 14:4.

[93] A quotation from Amos 9:11–12

[94] This means that some left the Christian faith and were trying to subvert (undermine) others’ faith. Some within the congregation were expressing their conflicting beliefs. Here it was over the issue of Gentile Christians needing to be circumcised and whether Christians needed to observe the Mosaic Law.

The original words were “unsettling your souls” (P³³ P^45vid P⁷⁴ א A B D 33 cop) A variant reading is “unsettling your souls by saying [it is necessary] to be circumcised and to keep the law” (C E Ψ 1739 Maj syr).

[95] Verse 34 is not contained in the earliest and diverse manuscripts (P⁷⁴ א A B E Ψ Maj syr^p cop^bo), while vs 34 is contained in two different forms in other manuscripts (C 33 614 1739 syr** cop^sa) “But it seemed good to Silas to remain there” and (P^127vid D it^,w) “But it seemed good to Silas to remain with them, so Judas traveled alone.” The scribes likely incorporated a gloss from the margin that was trying to rationalize why Silas just happened to be there in verse 40 for the apostle Paul to choose him as a traveling companion. The only problem is that the interpolation of vs 34 contradicts vs 33.

[96] Teach: (Gr. διδάσκω didaskō; διδακτικός didaktikos) The Greek verb didaskō means to teach, to provide instruction. The Greek adjective didaktikos means able to teach, skillful in teaching, qualified to teach, to provide instruction, which applies to all Christians. Pastors need to have greater skill in their teaching of God’s Word. Nevertheless, all Christians need to be trained or train themselves and possess good teaching methods. – Matt. 11:1; Lu 11:1; Rom. 2:21; Col. 1:28; 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:12; 3:2; 4:11; 2 Tim. 2:2, 24; Heb. 5:12; 1 John 2:27.

[97] Believe, faith, Trust in: (πιστεύω pisteuō) If pisteuo is followed by the Greek preposition eis, (“into, in, among,” accusative case), it is generally rendered “trusting in” or “trust in.” (John 3:16, 36; 12:36; 14:1) The grammatical construction of the Greek verb pisteuo “believe” followed by the Greek preposition eis “into” in the accusative gives us the sense of having faith into Jesus, putting faith in, trusting in Jesus. – Matt. 21:25, 32; 27:42; John 1:7, 12; 2:23–24; 3:15–16, 36; 6:47; 11:25; 12:36; 14:1; 20:31; Acts 16:31; Rom. 4:3.

[98] Paul was a Jew who also held Roman citicizenshp.

[99] Persuasion: (Gr. πεισμονή peismonē,  πείθω peithō) The Greek word literally means to 1.) persuade, convince (Matt. 27:20; Ac 12:20; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 23:28; 26:28). It means “to be assured of” or “to be convinced and certain of the truth of something.” Through the art of persuasion, one can cause another to adopt a certain position, view, belief, or course of action. Someone convinces or persuades another by bringing about a change of mind by means of sound, logical reasoning. Someone convinces or persuades another to adopt a new belief and to act on that belief. It also means to 2.) trust, rely (Lu 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:9); 3.) be assured (1 John 3:19); 4.) obey (Heb. 13:17); 5.) be a follower, be a disciple (Ac 5:36, 37); 6.) be certain, be sure (Heb. 13:18).

[100] That is, after taking bail or after taking bond

[101] Or with all readiness of mind. The Greek word prothumias means that one is eager, ready, mentally prepared to engage in some activity.

[102] That chatterer

[103] Areopagus: (Ἄρειος Πάγος Areios Pagos) It literally means ‘hill of mars.’ It is the location of an Athens court, where the apostle Paul explained his beliefs to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers of Athens, which is traditionally associated with a rocky hill not far below the Acropolis, overlooked the Agora (i.e., marketplace) in Athens, Greece. – Ac 17:19, 22.

[104] Repentance: The (μετανοέω metanoeō and μεταμέλομαι metamelomai) means to repent, to change one’s way, repentance. It means that we change our minds about our sinful actions or conduct, being dissatisfied with that personality trait. We feel regret, contrition, or compunction for what we have done or failed to do. We change our way of life because we have changed our view, way of thinking, mindset, attitude, and disposition regarding our sinful behavior. We have a change of heart and mind, abandoning our former way of thinking, feeling, and acting. The result is our becoming a new self, with new behavior and having a genuine regret over our former ways. No one can testify but our own spirit that we have repented; we may make professions of repentance, and the world may believe we are thoroughly sincere, but our own spirit may tell us that our profession is false. In other words, genuine repentance will bring about results that we know to be true. – Matt. 3:2; 12:41; Mark 1:15; Lu 10:13; 15:10; 17:3; Ac 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 2 Cor. 12:21; Rev. 2:5-3:19.

[105] Persuasion: (Gr. πεισμονή peismonē,  πείθω peithō) The Greek word literally means to 1.) persuade, convince (Matt. 27:20; Ac 12:20; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 23:28; 26:28). It means “to be assured of” or “to be convinced and certain of the truth of something.” Through the art of persuasion, one can cause another to adopt a certain position, view, belief, or course of action. Someone convinces or persuades another by bringing about a change of mind by means of sound, logical reasoning. Someone convinces or persuades another to adopt a new belief and to act on that belief. It also means to 2.) trust, rely (Lu 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:9); 3.) be assured (1 John 3:19); 4.) obey (Heb. 13:17); 5.) be a follower, be a disciple (Ac 5:36, 37); 6.) be certain, be sure (Heb. 13:18).

[106] The original words were “I will return again” (P⁷⁴ א A B E 33) A variant reading is “I must by all means make the feast in Jerusalem. I will return again.” (D Ψ Maj it^,w syr).

[107] Persuasion: (Gr. πεισμονή peismonē,  πείθω peithō) The Greek word literally means to 1.) persuade, convince (Matt. 27:20; Ac 12:20; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 23:28; 26:28). It means “to be assured of” or “to be convinced and certain of the truth of something.” Through the art of persuasion, one can cause another to adopt a certain position, view, belief, or course of action. Someone convinces or persuades another by bringing about a change of mind by means of sound, logical reasoning. Someone convinces or persuades another to adopt a new belief and to act on that belief. It also means to 2.) trust, rely (Lu 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:9); 3.) be assured (1 John 3:19); 4.) obey (Heb. 13:17); 5.) be a follower, be a disciple (Ac 5:36, 37); 6.) be certain, be sure (Heb. 13:18).

[108] Apologetics: (ἀπολογία apologia) The term literally means “to defend” and is used in the biblical sense to refer to ones who defend the Christian faith, the Bible, and God in speech or written form. The Christian apologist attempts to prove that the Christian faith, the Bible, and God are reasonable, logical, necessary, and right. – Ac 25:16; 2 Cor. 7:11; Phil. 1:7, 16; 2 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 3:15.

[109] That is, for his life is in him

[110] Asia: (Ἀσία Asia) In the Greek New Testament, this is the Roman province of Asia that primarily includes the western part of present-day Turkey and some coastal islands, such as Samos and Patmos. Ephesus was the capital. – Ac 2:9; 6:9; 16:6; 20:16; 21:27; 24:19; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Cor. 1:8; 2 Tim. 1;15; 1 Pet. 1:1; Rev. 1:4.

[111] Or life

[112] Or to bear witness

[113] Lit pure from

[114] Congregation: (Heb. קָהַל qahal; Gr. ἐκκλησία ekklēsia) A congregation of Christians. A group of Christians who gather for a Christian meeting, implying an interacting membership. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it usually refers to the nation of Israel, i.e., “the assembly of Israel” or “the congregation of Israel.” The Greek New Testament refers to congregations of Christians and the Christian congregation as a whole. – Num. 20:8; Deut. 4:10; 1 Ki 8:22; Ac 9:31; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 14:4.

[115] Lit with the blood of his Own. Or, with his own blood.

[116] Apostasy: (ἀποστασία apostasia) The term literally means “to stand away from” and is used to refer to ones who ‘stand away from the truth.’ It is abandonment, a rebellion, an apostasy, a refusal to accept or acknowledge true worship. In Scripture, this is used primarily concerning those who rise up in defiance of the only true God and his people, working in opposition to the truth. – Ac 21:21; 2 Thess. 2:3.

[117] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[118] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[119] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[120] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[121] That is, assassins; Gr., σικάριος sikarios

[122] The common people were illiterate as far as Aramaic was concerned in the first century. Luke was an educated physician, and Paul was very familiar with ancient Hebrew as well as being fluent in the form that was used in the first century. When Luke records that Paul spoke to the Jews ‘in Hebrew’ and when the apostle said the voice from heaven spoke to him ‘in Hebrew,’ a form of Hebrew was meant; although, it was likely not the ancient Hebrew. It was not Aramaic as many scholars suggest. – Ac 22:2; 26:14.

[123] Do we have a discrepancy with Acts 9:7? No. The Greek word for “voice” (phone) at Acts 9:7 in in the genitive case (phones), which has the sense of hearing the sound of the voice, but not being able to understand it. At Acts 22:9 phone is in the accusative case (phonen), which means that the men did not hear the voice with comprehension or understanding. In other words, they heard the voice, but did not understand the words. Therefore, this is not a discrepancy. Some newer literal translations preferred to sidestep their literal philosophy for a more interpretive translation. At Acts 22:9 NASB reads, “And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.”

[124] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[125] That is, one who has not had a trial

[126] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[127] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[128] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[129] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[130] The original words were “And what if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” (P⁷⁴ א A B C E Ψ 33 1739 syr) A variant reading is “And what if a spirit or an angel spoke to him? Let us not fight against God.” (Maj cop).

[131] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[132] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[133] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[134] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[135] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[136] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[137] That is, about 9 p.m.

[138] Praetorian Guard; Praetorium: (πραιτώριον praitōrion) The Praetorian Guard was a special group of Roman soldiers, initially organized by Augustus as an imperial bodyguard for the emperor. It was made up of nine (later increased to ten) cohorts of one thousand men each. All of the Praetorian Guard was Italian volunteers, who were paid two to three times as much as the soldiers in the legions. Tiberius moved this body of troops to Rome in the headquarters or fortified barracks of a Roman camp north of the city’s walls. At times, cohorts were sent to foreign lands; however, three always remained in Rome at all times. As the Praetorian Guard were the only troops that permanently stayed in Italy, they soon became a powerful force to be reckoned with, having the power to support or displace the emperor. In the Gospels and Acts, the praitorion references the governor’s palace, headquarters, or residence. Therefore, when Pilate interrogated Jesus in the praetorium, it references the governor’s residence or palace. – Ac 23:35; Mt 27:27; Mk 15:16; Jn 18:28, 33; 19:9; Php 1:13.

[139] An orator (ῥήτωρ rhētōr), who was a person that spoke in court as a lawyer or an advocate for either the prosecution or the defense.

[140] P⁷⁴ א A B H L P 049 cop lack the following from vss 6-8, which read, according to (E) Ψ Maj 33 614 1739 it (syr): “We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. ⁷ But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, ⁸ ordering his accusers to come before you.” The earliest and most reliable manuscripts have the shorter reading. The interpolation is a classic example of a scribe trying to fill in what he perceives to be gaps in the text.

[141] Resurrection: A rising up from death. The Greek (ἀνάστασις anastasis) means “a standing up, i.e., a resurrection, a raising up, rising.” The event at Jesus’ second coming when some of humanity will be restored to life in a body. Usually, the future rising of all believers from the dead; sometimes, unbelievers are also in view. Acts 24:15 speaks of “a hope in God, which hope these men await, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”

[142] A commander of one thousand soldiers

[143] Caesar: (Καῖσαρ Kaisar) This is the transliteration of the Greek, which means Emperor. It comes from a Roman family named Caesar, which would later become the title for the Roman emperors. Augustus, Tiberius, and Claudius are specifically mentioned by name in the Bible. Even though Nero is not specifically named in the Bible, it would also apply to him. “Caesar” is also used in the Greek New Testament to represent the civil authority or the State. – Matt. 22:17; Mark 12:17; Ac 25:11-12.

[144] Apologetics: (ἀπολογία apologia) The term literally means “to defend” and is used in the biblical sense to refer to ones who defend the Christian faith, the Bible, and God in speech or written form. The Christian apologist attempts to prove that the Christian faith, the Bible, and God are reasonable, logical, necessary, and right. – Ac 25:16; 2 Cor. 7:11; Phil. 1:7, 16; 2 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 3:15.

[145] See 25:16 fn.

[146] Or considered

[147] The common people were illiterate as far as Aramaic was concerned in the first century. Luke was an educated physician, and Paul was very familiar with ancient Hebrew as well as being fluent in the form that was used in the first century. When Luke records that Paul spoke to the Jews ‘in Hebrew’ and when the apostle said the voice from heaven spoke to him ‘in Hebrew,’ a form of Hebrew was meant; although, it was likely not the ancient Hebrew. It was not Aramaic as many scholars suggest. – Ac 22:2; 26:14.

[148] A goad is a pointed rod used to urge on an animal. Thus, for the animal to kick at the goad was to injure itself.

[149] Sound in Mind: (σωφρονέω sōphroneō) This means to be of sound mind or in one’s right mind, and this one is sensible and moderate in his behavior. It involves understanding practical matters and thus being able to act sensibly, ‘to have sound judgment, to be sensible, to use good sense, sound judgment.’ – Acts 26:25; Romans 12:3; 2 Timothy 1:7; Titus 2:6; 1 Peter 4:7.

[150] Persuasion: (Gr. πεισμονή peismonē,  πείθω peithō) The Greek word literally means to 1.) persuade, convince (Matt. 27:20; Ac 12:20; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 23:28; 26:28). It means “to be assured of” or “to be convinced and certain of the truth of something.” Through the art of persuasion, one can cause another to adopt a certain position, view, belief, or course of action. Someone convinces or persuades another by bringing about a change of mind by means of sound, logical reasoning. Someone convinces or persuades another to adopt a new belief and to act on that belief. It also means to 2.) trust, rely (Lu 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:9); 3.) be assured (1 John 3:19); 4.) obey (Heb. 13:17); 5.) be a follower, be a disciple (Ac 5:36, 37); 6.) be certain, be sure (Heb. 13:18).

[151] Christian: (Χριστιανός Christianos) This is the name God gave to the followers of Jesus Christ, which is found only three times in the Greek New Testament. It was first “in Antioch [Syria] the disciples were first called Christians.” (Ac 11:26) There is a likelihood then that this name was used as early as the year 44 C.E. when the circumstances surrounding this text took place. Yet, the grammatical structure of this phrase does not necessarily make it so. Some Bible scholars contend that it was a little later. Regardless, the name was well known and was being used by about 58 C.E. in the city of Caesarea, even by public officials. At that time, King Herod Agrippa II said to the apostle Paul: “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” – Ac 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16.

[152] Or with human kindness; (Gr. φιλανθρώπως philanthrōpōs)

[153] This was an Alexandrian grain ship.

[154] This was the fast of Atonement Day, which would have been in the autumn, specifically about Tishri 10 on the Jewish lunar, that is, October 5.

[155] An extremely violent wind from the northeast that blows across the island

[156] Or northeaster. Euraquilo is a compound of the Greek euronotos (east wind) and the Latin Aquila (north wind), which some translate northeaster.

[157] These are two notoriously dangerous large shallow gulfs, which are full of shifting sandbanks on the North Africa coast of Libya.

[158] That is, a violent windy storm

[159] (Gr., ὀργυιά orguia) A fathom was viewed as being about four cubits, that is, about 1.8 meters; 6 feet.

[160] Based on the manuscript evidence, it is certain that the island was called Μελιτη, which is literally, “Melita,” and is known today as Malta. In the original B before any corrections, as well as in other ancient versions (it syr cop) it is Μελιτηνη, which is what we find in WH. This probably came about through an error of dittography of Melita, in Μελίτη ἡ νῆσος (Melita the island) in scriptio continua.

[161] Barbarian: (βάρβαρος barbaros) The repetition of the “bar bar” in Greek originally convey the idea of stammering, stuttering, babbling, or any form of unintelligible sounds. Thus, the term “barbarian” was a term used by the Greeks, which referred to any foreigner, especially one who did not speak Greek, only later being viewed as uncivilized foreigners. Initially, there was no sense of hostility or contempt, and these non-Greeks were not offended by the term. It is similar to Gentile being used to refer to non-Jews. Eventually, a barbarian, any non-Greek, came to suggest one who was uncivilized. – Ac 28:2, 4; Rom. 1:14; 1 Cor. 14:11; Col. 3:11.

[162] Justice: (Gr. dikē) This is a reference to a goddess of Greek mythology who personifies avenging justice in seeking out and punishing the acts of guilty men.–Ac 28:4.

[163] That is, the Greek gods, the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux

[164] Some Christians from another group came to Tres Tabernai (Latin) to meet Paul, which is about thirty miles south of Rome.

[165] Persuasion: (Gr. πεισμονή peismonē,  πείθω peithō) The Greek word literally means to 1.) persuade, convince (Matt. 27:20; Ac 12:20; 18:4; 19:8, 26; 23:28; 26:28). It means “to be assured of” or “to be convinced and certain of the truth of something.” Through the art of persuasion, one can cause another to adopt a certain position, view, belief, or course of action. Someone convinces or persuades another by bringing about a change of mind by means of sound, logical reasoning. Someone convinces or persuades another to adopt a new belief and to act on that belief. It also means to 2.) trust, rely (Lu 11:22; 2 Cor. 1:9); 3.) be assured (1 John 3:19); 4.) obey (Heb. 13:17); 5.) be a follower, be a disciple (Ac 5:36, 37); 6.) be certain, be sure (Heb. 13:18).

[166] Lit hearing you will hear

[167] A quotation from Isa 6:9–10

[168] The earliest and best Greek manuscripts (P⁷⁴ א A B E Ψ 048 33 1739 syr^p cop) do not contain vs 29, while is later less trusted manuscripts (Maj it syr^h**) that contain Acts 28:29, “When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.” This is another example of later scribes seeking to fill in the narrative where they perceive there is a gap in the account.